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The actual cost of building the Starship Enterprise...today.

Surprisingly, minus the Warp drive (and Dr. Alcubierre is making some astounding advances on this as well) and some of the bells and whistle, this is an achievable project. We've certainly wasted money on less productive projects...count me in as a yes vote on this one!

I'm with Hawking in that, if mankind is to have a future, we must get off this planet and spread out across the cosmos...and relatively soon. While things are not likely in my lifetime, I genuinely do think that my great grandchildren will see things we've dreamed of in science fiction...like the Enterprise...come to fruition. But we must find leaders with vision, and those have been in short supply for a very long time. The benefits of even striving to create something of the magnitude of a real starship, perhaps in concert with many other nations, would generate production and technological advancement would that benefit the planet in ways we can hardly imagine...and perhaps help to solve many of our current seemingly insoluble economic/political/technological problems. Dream big, and let our engineers find a way to turn those dreams into practical reality.

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth. Marcus Aurelius

Re: The actual cost of building the Starship Enterprise...today.

I may have missed it, but they don't even talk about the artificial gravity system. Both the Star Wars and Star Trek franchises have artificial gravity systems, but I have heard nothing about how any of this would be possible.

"There are five real good recruits in the state. We got three of them. One couldn’t get into school, and the other went to (the University of) Iowa...which is about the same thing." - Coach Johnny Orr

Re: The actual cost of building the Starship Enterprise...today.

What about the replicator? Even moreso than the warp drive, that is the key piece of technology in the ST universe that allows humanity to evolve into a post-scarcity society and improve as a species.

Did you read the article, they talked in great detail about using 3D printing for a number of "replication" tasks. Obviously, we do not have the tech to make food from atoms at this point, but we can do much with the 3D tech that till recently was not practical. As for anti-gravity, clearly we lack this ability at this point nor is it something we are really on the verge of, so the ship would like need to have a centrifical forces to simulate gravity.

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth. Marcus Aurelius

Re: The actual cost of building the Starship Enterprise...today.

Originally Posted by bosco

Sorry to insert some practicality but the Enterprise can't be built until a space yard can be built because you can't build this on the planet.

The article incorporates the cost of using rockets to lift the parts up as they are assembled. You do have to read the full article to find these things, of course. The simple act of undertaking such a project leads to developmental advances as well...often tremendous leaps forward are made by the process of simply attempting such a herculean effort.

There is no end to practical difficulties, and obstacles, but given a timeline that is in the 50 year range and a budget that matches what the author lays out...the project is not beyond the reach of human endeavor. On the contrary, none of the engineering problems are likely to remain insurmountable for very long given the ingenuity of mankind and the rate of our advancement. Certainly an argument can be made as to whether or not its worth the effort and expenditure, but betting that it could not be done would be a very bad bet indeed.

The only real question here is should it be, and I think solid arguments can be made on both sides of that issue. I'm an optimist and a bit of a dreamer, I suppose, and I fall on the side of those who think such a project would serve to advance human ideals, technology and perhaps even work to make the world a much better place.

Last edited by Mesaclone1; 05-20-2013 at 07:15 PM.

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth. Marcus Aurelius

Re: The actual cost of building the Starship Enterprise...today.

Honestly, I'd settle for a Daedalus-class warship.

Chuck Lidell: I paint my toenails with pink and black polish. Problem is, I get more paint on my toes and on the carpet than on my nails. Any advice?Maria Sharapova: Don't you beat up other guys for a living? I don't know how to answer this.

Re: The actual cost of building the Starship Enterprise...today.

Originally Posted by timappelgate

Once more people view this as more than a Star Trek gimmick, it'll be realistic.

That is certainly true, and very unfortunate. Hence the need for someone with genuine vision at the national level who can open people's eyes to what is not just possible, but feasible....even necessary.

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth. Marcus Aurelius

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